Crime journalist shot dead in Philippine capital

A crime journalist has been shot dead in Manila, police and colleagues said Saturday, the latest addition to a lengthening list of unsolved murders of media workers in the Philippines.

Crime journalist Alex Balcoba, 56, is carried to a tricycle after he was shot by unidentified gunmen in Manila

Alex Balcoba, 56, was attacked in central Manila late Friday outside a watch repair shop owned by his family, the country’s National Press Club said in a statement.

The club’s president Paul Gutierrez said the attack on Balcoba, a reporter for the People’s Brigada tabloid, brought to more than 30 the number of journalists killed in the Philippines since 2010, with no suspects yet brought to justice.

“The culture of impunity that is behind these attacks is yet to be addressed by the authorities despite their repeated boasts and promises,” Gutierrez added. Read More